History - Past and Present…

Trojan Health Volunteers was established in 1985 by USC student, Daniel Potter, who recognized the need
for pre-health students to gain exposure to their future occupations outside of their classroom experience. He contacted hospitals all over Los Angeles and ran this program out of his dorm room. When he graduated in 1987, he handed the program over to the Joint Educational Project to administer.

Since its inception, Trojan Health Volunteers has grown at an accelerated rate. Each semester, roughly up to 120 pre-health students participate in THV. Currently, the program partners with eleven different hospitals and  clinics in the greater Los Angeles area. These range from large health sites like Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to St John’s, a neighborhood clinic a few blocks away from USC's main campus.

Trojan Health Volunteers is not only a community outreach program, but it also strives to be a forum for discussion about current bioethics topics and related healthcare issues. Every student participating in THV completes several papers ranging from on-site reflections to research topics, and attends group discussions . While the discussion sessions are held very informally, participation is required.

A full-time staff member supervises two part-time undergraduates - the program director and assistant director. These students recruit, train. monitor students and develop/maintain relationships with partnering hospitals/clinics.

Janet Lin Director Janet Lin is currently a senior majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Spanish. She hopes to eventually practice medicine in low-income communities in Los Angeles or abroad. Janet was the assistant director for Trojan Health Volunteers in 2008-2009 and is ready to assume the position of director for 2009-2010. She envisions THV to be a resource for pre-health students to not only gain a valuable clinical volunteering experience, but to also link their experiences to relevant topics in medicine. Aside from THV, Janet conducts research at the Richard F. Thompson lab and is a part of the Christian ministry on campus. In her free time, she enjoys making puzzles, practicing amateur photography and doing silly dances.

Holly Villamagna Assistant Director Holly Villamagna is a junior double majoring in Neuroscience and Print Journalism. She plans to pursue a career in family medicine and medical reporting. She believes that clear communication between medical professionals and their patients is extremely important in providing good health care, and hopes that Trojan Health Volunteers helps students begin to develop these communication skills through discussions and journals. Her other interests include: small white dogs, road trips, beaches, and baking (particularly cupcakes).